U.S. History Central College HIST 1302 U.S. History Since the Civil War CRN 52973 Central Campus Distance Education 3 hour DE course / 48 hours per semester/ 16 weeks INSTRUCTOR: Audrey Crawford Contents I. Instructor Contact Information... 2 II. DE Technical Support... 2 III. Course Description... 2 IV. Course Goal... 2 V. Outcomes & Objectives... 2 VI. Instructional Methods... 3 VII. How this course works... 3 VIII. Instructional Materials... 4 IX. DE Student Services... 4 X. Instructor s Class Policies... 4 XI. Grading... 5 XI.1. Get Started... 5 XI.2. Weekly Quizzes... 6 XI.3. Weekly Forum... 6 XI.4. Tests... 7 XI.5. Final Exam... 7 XI.6. Article Reviews... 7 XI.7. Book Review... 7 XII. Final Grade Calculation... 8 XIII. turnitin Assignment... 8 XIV. Improving Your Grade... 8 XV. Prerequisites... 8 XVI. SCANS or Core Curriculum Statement and Other Standards... 9 XVII. Eagle Online Student User ID... 9 XVIII. 16 Week Calendar... 10 NOTE: This Syllabus refers to the following documents that are posted on the class website and are explained in the GettingStarted document, which will be the first thing you read when you logon: How to Write Your Book Review How to Write Your Article Reviews How to Write Great Answers Study Guide-Mexican American Odyssey Page 1 of 13
I. Instructor Contact Information Please feel free to contact me concerning any problems that you are experiencing in this course. You do not need to wait until you have received a poor grade before asking for my assistance. Your performance in my class is very important to me. I am available to hear your concerns and just to discuss course topics. See also, Section XIV Improving Your Grade below. Email me via Eagle Online email during the course. Use my HCCS Email only if you cannot access Eagle Online: audrey.crawford@hccs.edu. There is no guarantee of response from my hccs.edu email address. I will generally be online 2-3 times per day, except on weekends. Expect a response to email or Discussion posts within 12 hours between 9:00am Monday and 3:00pm Friday. My response on weekends will be pretty random. For a real time conference (online chat), make an appointment by emailing me at least 72 hours (3 days) in advance. I do not have a campus phone, so please do not attempt to contact me by phone. II. DE Technical Support 24/7 toll-free phone service: 1 (855) 836-3519 Chat or submit a trouble ticket at: HCC Eagle Online Support Center website at: http://smartipantz.perceptis.com/hccs/content/default.aspx III. Course Description This course is a broad overview of the history of the U.S. for most of the past 125 years. In that time, the U.S. became the economic and political powerhouse that defines its role in the world today. At the same time, less privileged groups and minority peoples within the U.S. struggled to achieve citizenship rights and the personal power and economic success promised by the ideals of the U.S. government. This course is essentially a practice in reading comprehension and writing. Your mission will be to acquire an understanding of and practice describing the major issues that shaped U.S. history since the Civil War, including relations between workers and corporations, the maneuverings of political parties, foreign policy, and the impact of social movements by minorities and women. IV. Course Goal The goal of this course is to develop skills for thinking, writing, and dialoguing creatively and critically about U.S. history. V. Outcomes & Objectives Student Learning Outcomes The student will be able to: 1) Describe the growth of the U.S. as a global commercial power. 2) Describe major social movements affecting minorities and women in the U.S. since 1877. 3) Describe the development and nature of U.S. relationships with foreign countries. 4) Describe the development of political parties and their national agendas since the Civil War. Learning objectives Students will: 1. discuss and evaluate the significance of historical events presented in a survey textbook, a historical monograph, and a set of articles. Page 2 of 13
2. practice critical analysis by developing article reviews and a book review. 3. identify on a map geographical locations referred to in the readings. 4. differentiate between primary and secondary sources in history writing. 5. describe the use and significance of primary sources in historical writing. VI. Instructional Methods Since HIST 1302 is a required course for all students seeking an academic degree or certificate, I know that most of you are taking this class to fulfill that requirement. That understanding does not diminish my commitment to nudging you to practice the skill most essential to your success in your chosen career: analytic thinking and the ability to express yourself clearly. The Weekly Forum, Article Reviews, and Book Review are designed with this in mind. The many small grades, rather than a few big grades, that make up the curriculum for this course provide opportunity for self-expression, feedback, and discussion on a regular basis over the course of the semester. I want you to be successful in this course, whether you think you like history or not. I am committed to providing clear instructions, consistent deadlines, and consistent and timely response to any questions you have, as well as to the work you submit. I believe that one of the most critical elements in student success is ongoing dialogue among students and between students and teacher about the material of the course. The Weekly Discussion and feedback on written assignments encourages this dialogue. Your success as a student depends on your commitment to complete the assigned readings, submit assignments on time, participate in the online discussions, review written comments in graded assignments, and pose questions. VII. How this course works This course is 100% online. Liberal access to a computer with Internet access is essential, whether from home, office, or a suitably-equipped open computer lab. You will use the email tool in the Eagle Online website, so an Internet-based email address is not required. You are expected to be familiar with rudimentary computer skills, such as creating documents online, exchanging electronic mail, and uploading/downloading files to/from the Internet. It is the responsibility of the student to educate themselves about Eagle Online tools necessary to the course. Some Eagle Online tutorials are available at the DE Tech Support website: http://smartipantz.perceptis.com/hccs/content/default.aspx You are expected to seek assistance from DE Support for help with technology problems. The Instructor can provide some information, but, in the event of technology difficulties, DE Tech Support is the most important resource. Begin the course at the Week1 section on the Homepage of the class website. Click on the Start button, read the GettingStarted document, and complete the several tasks described in that document. NOTE: This course starts on Day One (August 27), so don t dawdle over getting started. This course is NOT self-paced. A substantial amount of class work must be submitted on a weekly basis. The GettingStarted document suggests a weekly procedure for completing the course work. Note that there is no single grade that determines your Final Grade in this class. The curriculum in this class is made of many little grades, rather than just a few big grades. It is crucial that you submit work on a regular basis to accumulate enough grades to achieve a respectable Final Grade. Failure to submit work on a regular basis could result in withdrawal from the course. See below, Section X.6 Instructor s Policies. Consult the GettingStarted document in the Week1 section of the website for more detailed instructions about navigating the class website and progressing through the course. Page 3 of 13
VIII. Instructional Materials A. ONLINE TEXTBOOK (free): Digital History at http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/hyper_titles.cfm B. ONLINE ARTICLES (through HCCS Library database): The list of articles and instructions for accessing them are in the document How to Write Your Article Reviews, located on the home page of our website. C. ONE BOOK to PURCHASE: the Monograph Mexican American Odyssey: Felix Tijerina, Entrepreneur & Civic Leader, 1905-1965, by Thomas H. Kreneck (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2001) You can order this book from the HCC Bookstore. You may find used copies cheaper at online booksellers. D. ADDITIONAL READINGS from various online sources IX. DE Student Services The Distance Education Student Handbook contains policies and procedures unique to the DE student. It is the student's responsibility to be familiar with the handbook's contents as part of the mandatory orientation. The handbook contains valuable information, answers, and resources, such as DE contacts, policies and procedures (how to drop, attendance requirements, etc.), student services (ADA, financial aid, degree planning, etc.), course information, testing procedures, technical support, and academic calendars. Refer to the DE Student Handbook by visiting this link: http://de.hccs.edu/de/de-student-handbook X. Instructor s Class Policies 1. No extra credit: All grades for this course come from the Assessments listed in Section XI of this Syllabus. No additional assignments will be created, and no work will be assigned for "extra credit" for any reason. 2. Due dates and penalties for submitting assignments late are specified in instructions for the assignments, either in this document or in documents posted on the class website. There is no acceptable excuse for late work, including failure of, ignorance of, or lack of access to required technology. 3. Do Not Copy from Any Source: On all written assignments, no credit will be given for material copied from any source. This includes material copied from any book, from other student work, and from Internet sources. See Academic Honesty in the DE Student Handbook referred to in Section IX above. Repeated instances of copying can be considered plagiarism and can result in withdrawal from this class. 4. As a student in this course, you commit to an Honors policy. This means that all work you submit is work prepared and written by you. You are encouraged to consult about and to practice expressing your ideas with your colleagues in the class and with your friends. However, when you take Tests and prepare the papers you submit, you pledge to write them yourself to the best of your ability. 5. Early Alert: As your instructor, I am concerned about students who perform poorly. I will use the HCC Early Alert process to connect students who seem to need help with a DE Counselor. You are encouraged to initiate contact with Counselors on your own if you would like to speak to someone Page 4 of 13
about personal or academic concerns. See the DE Student Handbook referred to in Section IX above for more information about DE Counseling services. 6. Course Withdrawal Withdrawal by student: See the DE Student Handbook for instructions about withdrawing yourself from the course if you decide you need to do so. I would appreciate your letting me know if you do decide to leave. Withdrawal by Instructor: You are at risk of withdrawal by me if you fail to attend class on a regular basis. In this online class, your attendance is measured by regular submission of assignments that indicate a reasonable level of effort. Emailing me reasons why you are not submitting work does not constitute attendance in the class. Since extremely low grades indicate a lack of attendance, students with less than 30% of the maximum grade possible by the Final Withdrawal date on November 17 are at risk of withdrawal from this class - regardless of visa, scholarship, or any other concerns. Please note that you cannot be withdrawn if you have already achieved a total of 6 withdrawals in your career in Texas colleges and universities. (See the HCC Course Withdrawal policy in the Policies and Procedures section of the DE Student Handbook.) I am always sad when students withdraw. There s lots of help for you at HCC, so seek help when you need it to keep yourself active and your grades respectable. If for any reason you find that you cannot keep up with the class, it would be very helpful to both of us if you would let me know you would like to withdraw. Bear in mind that, in the long run, a W on your transcript will serve you better than an F. 7. No Incomplete: No grade of Incomplete will be awarded for this class. XI. Grading Grades for this course will come from the following assessments: Assessments Maximum Points TOTAL Page 5 of 13 % of Final Grade (approx.) 1) Get Started (Tasks must be completed before 30 2% noon on September 3.) 2) 12 out of 15 Weekly Quizzes @ 25 points each 300 20% 3) 15 Weekly Forums @ 12 points each 180 12% 4) 2 out of 3 Tests @ 150 points each 300 20% 5) Final Exam 300 20% 6) 3 out of 4 Article Reviews @ 60 points each 180 12% 7) Book Review (total of 2 drafts) 180 12% The following is a detailed description of each of the assignments. XI.1. Get Started 1500 100% In order to receive a grade for this work, you must complete all the Get Started tasks before noon on September 3. This grade depends on completing a list of tasks described in the GettingStarted document in the Week1 section of our website. When you first login, go to the Week1 section, and click on the Start button. GettingStarted Quiz: Note that the grade for the GettingStarted Quiz is NOT the GetStarted grade. You must complete the GettingStarted Quiz with a perfect grade before noon on September 3 in
order to receive the GetStarted grade. If you do not complete all the tasks in the Getting Started document AND achieve 100% on the GettingStarted Quiz by noon on September 3, then your GetStarted grade will be 0. Any grade less than 100% on the GettingStarted Quiz doesn t count for anything. Back to Course Assignments list XI.2. Weekly Quizzes Submitting the Weekly Quizzes on a regular basis and reviewing the results is critical to your success in this class. The Weekly Quizzes allow you to measure how well you understand your readings. What are Weekly Quizzes? A Weekly Quiz will be available in each Weekly section, beginning with Week1 and every Saturday at noon thereafter. There will be a Weekly Quiz available every week through Week15, including the week of Thanksgiving. Content: The Weekly Quiz consists of objective questions based on the questions in the Unit Study Guide for the week. You can take the Quiz only once, so get comfortable with the Study Guide questions before you attempt the Quiz. The Weekly Forum gives you opportunity to share answers and learn from other students in the class. Deadline: The Weekly Quiz must be submitted by Noon on the following Saturday that ends the week. The last Weekly Quiz is due at Noon on December 10. What can I do if I miss one? There are no makeups for the Weekly Quiz. The highest 12 grades out of a possible 15 grades will be used for your Final Grade calculation. If you do these Assignments on a regular basis, you do not have to worry about weeks that you miss. [I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THAT SUBMITTING THIS WORK ON A REGULAR BASIS AND REVIEWING THE RESULTS IS THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS IN THIS CLASS.] Grading: See the Grading table above for the maximum grade for each Weekly Quiz. The highest 12 grades of the 15 Weekly Quiz grades will be used to calculate your Final Grade. Back to Grading XI.3. Weekly Forum Post TWO messages and reply to at least ONE other post each week (a total of THREE posts about three different questions) in the Weekly Forum for the week. The purpose of the Weekly Forum is to explore your understanding of the course material with your class colleagues. The Weekly Forums are named by their deadline date. Each week starts at noon on Saturday and ends at Noon on the following Saturday. Posts submitted after the deadline each week will not be graded. In order to allow time for discussion, your original posts and replies MUST observe the following schedule: Deadline Maximum Grade Original posts by Noon on Wednesday each week 4 points each Replies by Noon on Saturday each week 2 points NOTE: Original posts submitted between noon Wednesday and noon Saturday will receive a maximum of 2 points. Content: Your post MUST NOT EXCEED 200 WORDS. Your posts (original posts and reply) will be graded based on criteria described in the document How to Write Great Answers. Both original posts and replies should contain historical information. The purpose of the Weekly Discussion is to explore your understanding of the historical events and issues highlighted in the Study Guide questions. Your opinions about what you study are not irrelevant, but I cannot give you a grade for feelings or opinions. You must supply substantive information in your post. Pay attention to responses to your post; you may be able to improve your grade by replying to responses to your posts. Page 6 of 13
No make ups: There are no make ups for the Weekly Forums grade, and there s no such thing as late. For purposes of grading, I will ignore any posts after the deadline in each topic. Original posts submitted after noon on Wednesday can receive a maximum of 2 points. Grading: Your posts will be graded based on the standards described in the document How to Write Answers to Historical Questions. Your Forums grade will be the sum of all your weekly Forums grades. Back to Course Assignments list XI.4. Tests Three tests (Test1, Test2, Test3) will be given during this course. See the 16 Week Calendar below for the dates of these Tests. I will post specific information about each Test about a week prior to its availability date. The highest two of the three grades will be used to calculate your Final Grade. All Tests will be primarily objective questions. The Tests will be posted in the Week section in which they become available, and they may not be visible until their availability date. No makeups will be given for Tests for any reason. Late policy: There is no such thing as late for the Tests. They must be submitted by their deadline. Back to Grading XI.5. Final Exam The Final Exam will be an objective test, like the three Tests. The Final Exam is comprehensive, including material covered throughout the entire semester. I will post specific information about the Final Exam about a week prior to its availability date. See the 16 Week Calendar below for the availability dates of the Final Exam. No makeups will be given for the Final Exam for any reason. No late submission: It will not be possible to turn in the Final Exam past its deadline. Back to Course Assignments list XI.6. Article Reviews Four Article Reviews are assigned in this class. The highest three grades will be used in the Final Calculation. Each Article Review is a critical analysis of selected articles available in the HCCS Libraries database Academic Search Complete. Instructions for locating the articles are in the file How to Write Your Article Reviews posted on the homepage of our class website. General instructions for writing the Article Reviews is in the file How to Write Your Article Reviews. Specific instructions for writing the Article Reviews are contained in a file specific to each article. Due dates for each Article Review paper are listed in the 16 Week Calendar below as well as in the specific instructions for each paper. Back to Course Assignments list XI.7. Book Review The Book Review is comprised of two drafts that present a critical analysis of the monograph Mexican American Odyssey. Specific instructions about writing these two papers, including the late policy, are in the document How to Write Your Book Review, which is posted on the homepage of our class website. Due dates for the Book Review papers are listed in the 16 Week Calendar below as well as in the files describing the papers. Back to Course Assignments list Page 7 of 13
XII. Final Grade Calculation The Final Grade will be a letter calculated as follows: 1) Select the 2 highest Test grades, the 12 highest Weekly Quiz grades, and the 3 highest Article Review grades. 2) Sum the selected Test grades, the selected Weekly Assignment grades, the selected Article Review grades, the Weekly Forum grades, the Final Exam grade, the Book Review grades, and the GetStarted grade (maximum of 1500 points). 3) Divide by 1500. 4) Assign letter grades as follows: 90-100% A 80-89% B 70-79% C 60-69% D <60% F Back to Top XIII. turnitin Assignment Turnitin.com is an Internet service that aids students and teachers to minimize plagiarism in submitted papers. Turnitin.com compares paper submissions with sources on the Internet and with other student papers. It publishes a "similarities report" for each submission. Ideally, the similarity percentage should be well below 10%. (It will rarely be zero because of the nature of student papers.) Login to turnitin.com: You will need to enroll yourself at turnitin.com. See the instructions in the Discussion topic Instructions/Turnitin.com Login for the ID and password you need to login. You will submit all your written assignments to turnitin.com. Submit your work in time to review the similarity report, which will take at least several hours. The turnitin.com report will affect your grade. Your grade may be discounted by 10% for each point of the similarity percentage above 10%. If the similarity percentage is more than 15%, you may not receive a grade for your paper. You can review and resubmit your paper to turnitin.com. Give yourself at least 48 hours to receive and review your similarity report and to modify your paper, if necessary. After the deadline, Turnitin.com will not allow you to resubmit a paper, so be sure you have made any modifications prior to the deadline. I will not accept any essays via any other means except at turnitin.com. Remember that ignorance of the technology and problems with technology are not valid excuses for late work. XIV. Improving Your Grade Here are two good ways for you to get help on your written assignments, including your Article Reviews and Book Review papers: 1) Post comments and questions in the Student General Discussion forum to share information with and get help from other students. 2) Submit your work to AskOnline to get help from a tutor. 3) Submit your draft to turnitin.com AT LEAST 72 HOURS BEFORE THE DEADLINE and EMAIL ME to let me know that you would like some feedback. I will reply generally within 36 hours so you have time to modify your work and re-submit before the deadline. NOTE: You must email me to let me know you d like me to look at your draft. I generally do not look for papers at turnitin.com until after the deadline. XV. Prerequisites Students must be placed into college-level reading and college-level writing. Page 8 of 13
XVI. SCANS or Core Curriculum Statement and Other Standards Credit: 3 (3 lecture) The American nation from the end of the Reconstruction Era to the present. Core Curriculum Course. XVII. Eagle Online Student User ID Your Eagle Online login user ID will be your HCC User ID (sometimes referred to as the W number). All HCC students have a unique User ID. If you do not know your User ID you can look it up by visiting the HCC home page: o From www.hccs.edu, under the column CONNECT, click on the Student System Sign In link o Then click on Retrieve User ID and follow the instructions. Or use the direct link to access the Student Sign In page: https://hccsaweb.hccs.edu:8080/psp/csprd/?cmd=login&languagecd=eng The default student password is distance. You will be prompted to change your password after your first login. Please visit the Distance Education (DE) Technical Support website if you need additional assistance with your login. Page 9 of 13
XVIII. 16 Week Calendar NOTE: Deadlines are posted on the online Calendar on our class website. Week Suggested Reading Schedule (See the Unit Study Guides for complete assignments.) Week1: GET STARTED & Primary Sources Aug. 27 Sep. 3 Login and Complete the GetStarted Exercises. Study the questions in the Week1 Study Guide. Read the Monograph (Schedule in Study Guide- Mexican Read the article by Ellis. Complete the Week1 Activities posted in the Week1 Week2: Unit 1 Reconstruction Sep. 3-10 Study the questions in the Unit1 Study Guide. Read the Monograph (Schedule in Study Guide- Mexican Read the article by Ellis. Complete the Week2 Activities posted in the Week2 WEEK3: Unit 2 The West Sep. 10-17 Study the questions in the Unit2 Study Guide. Read the Monograph (Schedule in Study Guide- Mexican Read the article by Ellis. Complete the Week3 Activities posted in the Week3 WEEK4: Unit 3 Labor & Industrialization Sep. 17 24 Ellis Article Review is due before noon Sep. 19. Study the questions in the Unit3 Study Guide. Submit the Ellis Article Review. Read the Monograph (Schedule in Study Guide- Mexican Complete the Week4 Activities posted in the Week4 Page 10 of 13
WEEK5: Unit 4 TEST1 & Development of Corporate Capitalism Sep. 24 Oct. 1 TEST1 is available from noon Sep. 24 to noon Sep. 27. Book Review-Draft1 is due at noon on Oct. 1. Submit TEST1 Study the questions in the Unit4 Study Guide. Complete the Week5 Activities posted in the Week5 Submit Book Review-Draft1. WEEK6: Unit 5 Imperialism Oct. 1-8 Study the questions in the Unit5 Study Guide. Read the article by Veeser. Complete the Week6 Activities posted in the Week6 Week7: Unit 6 Progressive Era Oct. 8 15 Veeser Article Review is due before noon on Oct. 15. Study the questions in the Unit6 Study Guide. Submit the Veeser Article Review. Complete the Week7 Activities posted in the Week7 Week8: Unit 7 WWI & 1920s Oct. 15 22 Study the questions in the Unit7 Study Guide. Read the article by Friedman. Complete the Week8 Activities posted in the Week8 WEEK9: Unit 8 Great Depression Oct. 22-29 TEST2 is available from noon Oct. 22 to noon Oct. 25. Submit TEST2. Study the questions in the Unit8 Study Guide. Read the article by Friedman. Complete the Week9 Activities posted in the Week9 Page 11 of 13
WEEK10: Unit 9 WWII & Cold War Oct. 29 Nov. 5 Study the questions in the Unit9 Study Guide. Read the Monograph (Schedule in Study Guide- Mexican Read the article by Friedman. Complete the Week10 Activities posted in the Week10 WEEK11: Unit 10 The 1960s Nov. 5 12 Friedman Article Review is due before noon on Nov. 12. Study the questions in the Unit10 Study Guide. Submit the Friedman Article Review. Complete the Week11 Activities posted in the Week11 Week12: Unit 10 continued Nov. 12-19 Continue studying the questions in the Unit10 Study Guide. Read the article by Chappell. Complete the Week12 Activities posted in the Week12 WEEK13: TEST3 + Unit 11 Viet Nam War & Nixon Nov. 19 26 TEST3 is available from noon on Nov. 19 to noon on Nov. 22. Thanksgiving holidays are Nov. 24-27. Submit TEST3. Study the questions in the Unit11 Study Guide. Read the article by Chappell. Complete the Week13 Activities posted in the Week13 WEEK14: Unit 11 continued Nov. 26 Dec. 3 Book Review-Final Draft is due by noon Nov. 28 Chappell Article Review is due by noon on December 3. Continue studying the questions in the Unit11 Study Guide. Submit your Book Review-Final Draft. Submit the Chappell Article Review. Complete the Week14 Activities posted in the Week14 Page 12 of 13
WEEK15: Unit 12 Reagan & the 1980s Dec. 3 10 Study the questions in the Unit12 Study Guide. Complete the Week15 Activities posted in the Week15 Get ready for the Final Exam. WEEK16: FINAL EXAM Dec. 10-13 Final Exam Parts 1 & 2 are available Noon Dec. 10 (Saturday) till Noon Dec. 13 (Tuesday). Submit Final Exam Parts 1 & 2. See Final Exam information in the Week16 Page 13 of 13